☺ Sharing Beliefs without being Pushy ☺

It's sometimes difficult when you have strong moral values or opinions on certain subjects and then are faced with someone who is absolutely ignorant to the topic. Let's face it, there are an awful lot of people in the world that would rather turn a blind eye to the world than open up to the truth. If you are reading my blog then I am going to assume that you probably have lots (or at least a few) pretty strong values of your own, whether it's on animal rights issues, veganism, eco-consciousness, being healthy, finding your higher self, or anything else. So chances are you know what I'm talking about, and even if you don't, chances are you have at least witnessed heated arguments, people getting defensive, or people with pushy points of views. Usually it's just people getting overly passionate in their beliefs but they often come out looking like an asshole. It's sometimes difficult to discuss a topic--even when provoked--and actually get your point across while being pushy. But you also don't want to keep your mouth closed on the topic either. Because it's important to you of course, and a part of you, and you truly Want to share what you know and try to change the world and be a positive influence--or at least get them to open their eyes more on the subject. 

The key is communicating properly. And that means being warm and kind in dialogue on any subject--especially when you are challenging someone else's point of view (even if you know you're right ;)). People don't like to be wrong. They don't like to feel alienated or challenged or angered. And people can be incredibly stubborn with their opinions. It's a sort of self-defensive mechanism. Don't put them on the defensive, engage people in an open and respectful manner. This gives a chance at a friendly conversation, and you are much more likely to get your point across in this way and will make them more open to hearing another point of view. 

There are better ways to share your truth and opinions without reaming someone out because you don't agree with what they're doing or really tickles your nerves. Don't be judgemental or condescending. Just share information in a positive and open manner. You can still be passionate, but stay non-judgemental and try to keep the conversation friendly, engage them so that they are interested. If they don't look at all interested then you may just want to just drop the subject. Perhaps it's not the right time, and trying to share your point of view will only anger them, make them shut down, or perhaps make them hold even tighter onto their stubborn belief. Respect their own boundaries and opinions. You don't have to agree with everyone, in fact you certainly won't, and there is nothing wrong with that. The last thing you want to do is be preachy and condescending. People never respond well to that, and that will only fire up a negative reaction in yourself as well. People do not respond well to negativity. People are much more likely to listen to you and absorb what you have to say if you are kind, light-hearted, and engage them in the conversation.

Sometimes it has nothing to do with the way you are communicating with people as well. You could be talking to someone in the absolute most sweetest and warm-hearted manner possible and they still just might not want to listen to you. Know when to step back and when to engage a topic.

The fact is that most people just don't know, so sharing information, and letting them know what you know, could change their values and points of view altogether. Think about it; how many people know just how cruel the meat industry is? That the veal industry is directly linked to the dairy industry? That dairy isn't actually good for you? That there are chemtrails in the skies above us? That the news and media are not truthful and are used to manipulate and control people? That the medical industry is corrupted by pharmaceuticals? That animal testing is medically inviable? That our diets directly affect our mental health? That you don't need drugs to get better from something? That vaccinations do more harm than good… okay, so I could go on and on, but you get the point. Most of this is not common knowledge. The truth is that most people just haven't thought outside of what the media and society tells them--because they have no good reason not to believe it. So share information and let them slowly warm up to the concept that what they think they know, they might not actually know at all. 

A compassionate approach has a far bigger impact and people are much more open to it. Be respectfully honest and arm yourself with some facts, so that you can respond well to their questions or what they may have to say. There is nothing wrong or preachy about sharing information in a kind conversation. Be sure you are educated on the subject so you can appropriately answer their questions--or point them in the right direction if they do take interest in what you have to say. Be kind and positive! Communicate in a respectful, open, and non judgemental manner. It's the best advice I can give. 

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☺ The Power of the Individual! You Count! ☺

We are made to feel hopeless and weak. But we're not. One individual has the power to do so much. And when you combine each of those individuals you have one awesome force worth reckoning with.

This Occupy Movement is a show of just that, but that's not exactly what I'm talking about today. No, today I am talking about doing your part, whatever you may choose for that to be, whether you agree with Occupy or not. This is something bigger than that (perhaps). 

Far beyond the censored stories of your local and global news is a world that needs more help, where love is shared, and true inspiration and hope can be found. And it is a place where you can contribute. It is the real world, not the place we are shown on television or the general blinding views of society. It is a place to open your eyes and to learn to think and decide for yourself what is going on, what is right or wrong, and what you can do about it. There may be a lot of horrible things going on in the world, I'm not going to lie, but when we can let fear go we can find beauty and strength at every level and with that the power to do good and make positive changes. 

We often don't give ourselves enough credit, and forget the power of the individual. Each and every one of us accounts for a bigger mass, a body of movement, power, and potential. And together we deserve credit and to see how strong we really are.

We must remember that We are the voices of our countries, the voices of the planet. As individuals and also coming together as a whole. It is time to stop allowing intimidation and distractions thrown at us daily to influence our lives. You are above that. Or at least you can choose to be. 

Bu what I am really trying to get across is just how strong You--yes, You!--are.

Again, each group, movement, body of people, starts with One Person. That Person could be You. Together we can amplify our voices and that power of influence. But also at the individual level you do so much change just by yourself. 

If you don't think you count then consider this…

Every Vegan saves anywhere from 100-200 animals per year. 

It takes 5000 gallons of water to produce 1 pound of meat. So you're saving THAT much water just by not consuming meat! 

When you choose to adopt from an animal shelter instead of buy from a pet shop you are saving the life of a shelter animal that could have been sentences to death. 

When you use your own bags instead of plastic you could be saving the lives of sea animals that get them stuck in the digestive tracks or suffocate. 

The average American uses seven trees a year in paper, wood, and other products made from trees. When you choose to buy recycled paper products you are saving the lives of trees, the wildlife that need those trees, and the waterways that are polluted due to logging. 

Recycling one aluminum can saves enough energy to run a TV for three hours -- or the equivalent of a half a gallon of gasoline.   

Now think about how you may influence other people as well. 

I know that by talking about veganism I have encouraged others to be Vegan. I've turned some people Vegan and influenced a great many others to try or reduce their intake of animal products. Just by talking about it. By talking about my own green choices I have influences others to do the same as well. Now think about how many of those people will also go out and do the same thing, and then that person, and so on. The butterfly effect, that wingspan is endless, all from ONE Person choosing to do good. 

Think about the positive changes your choices will make on others, the impressions your actions leave and the impact that comes with that. 

Think about it.   

Stop asking "what difference does it make?" because it makes a BIG difference! 

No matter how small or insignificant you may feel, know that you are not. You are powerful and you have a voice that should be heard. Stand up for your rights, for what you believe in. Stand up for yourself as an individual, for others, for animals, for the planet, for health, and everything in between. 

Remember the power you have in your own hands, the impressions you leave with others, and the impact you leave on the earth. Now doesn't that make you want to do good in the world?

Doesn't that make you feel empowered and important? It should, because you are.  

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☆ Occupy Movement; It's time for Change! ☆

If you haven't yet heard about the massive Occupy Wall Street Movement, don't feel badly, the media isn't covering it at all except to say how awesome our police forces and government are and how awful the protestors are. However, it is something you should know about and get involved with. 

Why?

 Because there is a moment that many of us have been waiting for. Finally, people are realizing their strengths, power, and courage against the governmental forces of this world that have kept us under their thumb for years. Let's face it, one way or another, people are dissatisfied with the system. It isn't working. And unless you are either part of the 1% of the population with all the money, or part of the stubborn-as-hell population living contently blinded and distracted, then you are aware that something is so very wrong with our world. From global warming, our stubborn dependency to big oil companies (and the insane amount of money poured into this industry), to human rights, the huge amount of debt most of us have, the fact our generation can't ever afford to buy a house, the cheating of people in the U.S. with mortgages, the disgusting animal abuse, the corporate corruption, the bailouts, the economy crashes, the refusal to go to sustainable energy, the constant raping and pillaging of the planet, the corrupt media system made to make the people feel afraid and helpless, the poisoning of our land, water, and food, the chemtrails in the skies, the manipulation of just about everything and anything, how can you not see that the system is not working? This system is made to benefit that 1% of the population while the other 1% must struggle to get by. We are ants in their eyes. But there is a movement many of us have been hoping for, thinking about, talking about, and yearning for, and it is finally here. 

“The 99 percent movement is about bringing everybody together who is dissatisfied with a society that has run away from itself.”

This began with the Occupy Wall Street Movement, which began on September 17th and is still on-going. Thousands have come together to march on Wall Street. Hundreds have been arrested and faced the violence and brutality of the police forces that continue to try and bully and intimidate the people on some inane power trip. These people are Peacefully protesting, something we have a right to do, something that needs to be done. We have a voice that needs to be heard. And no amount of violent intimidation will stop this movement from happening. 

The one thing I find astounding is how easily the government and media can shift the blame from the police to the peaceful protestors. Oh, yeah, watch out for all those peaceful protestors exercising their right to freedom. Oh yeah, they're the problem all right, not the police forces who are meeting them with unnecessary brutality. Seriously? Open your eyes if you are truly falling for this jargon. 

It is time for the 99% to take a stand. And what started on Wall Street in New York City is gaining momentum all over the globe! Occupy events are popping up everywhere! People are getting organized! People are standing up! It is time for the 99% to be heard. For change to happen. We are living in a very fortunate time in our lives where we will be fortunate to see some amazing positive changes occur for the better of the people and the planet. 

Stand up! 

Check out this website for an Occupy event near you! http://www.meetup.com/occupytogether/

And if there isn't one, then organize one! There is one started in my small town of Nelson B.C. up in Canada, so why not where you live too? 

Be part of the movement. 

Be part of the Re-Love-ution! 

This is a global movement! We are the 99%! 

Check out the Occupy Wall Street's first Official Declaration here: 
http://www.reloveplanet.com/2011/10/occupy-wall-street-issues-first.html

Check out the 99% and add your photo here: http://wearethe99percent.tumblr.com/

Show some support and add your voice here: http://www.avaaz.org/en/the_world_vs_wall_st/?wgDvubb 

and here: http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/occupy_ws/?rc=tw1

Plus 5 more ways to Support Occupy Wall Street: http://www.care2.com/causes/5-ways-to-support-the-occupy-wall-street-movement.html

Peace & Love,

xo

~Bianca  

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‘Occupy Wall Street’ Issues First Official Declaration; and how this stands for us All!

I felt this was worth sharing with you all. I was actually in New York City during this Wall Street Occupation but for once was out of the loop with what was going on. I didn't know this was going on until the day I was leaving. I wish I could have taken part in this peaceful protest but I also know that people have reached a point of frustration and want change from their governments and from this system that is clearly not working. I think we are going to see a lot of amazing changes very soon. I believe this movement is gaining momentum and this is just the beginning. The list below I feel stands for everyone so let's be united in this. ;) 

On Thursday night, Occupy Wall Street participants voted on and approved the first official “Declaration of the Occupation of New York City.” It it reprinted in its entirety below.

As we gather together in solidarity to express a feeling of mass injustice, we must not lose sight of what brought us together. We write so that all people who feel wronged by the corporate forces of the world can know that we are your allies.

As one people, united, we acknowledge the reality: that the future of the human race requires the cooperation of its members; that our system must protect our rights, and upon corruption of that system, it is up to the individuals to protect their own rights, and those of their neighbors; that a democratic government derives its just power from the people, but corporations do not seek consent to extract wealth from the people and the Earth; and that no true democracy is attainable when the process is determined by economic power. We come to you at a time when corporations, which place profit over people, self-interest over justice, and oppression over equality, run our governments. We have peaceably assembled here, as is our right, to let these facts be known.

They have taken our houses through an illegal foreclosure process, despite not having the original mortgage.

They have taken bailouts from taxpayers with impunity, and continue to give Executives exorbitant bonuses.

They have perpetuated inequality and discrimination in the workplace based on age, the color of one’s skin, sex, gender identity and sexual orientation.

They have poisoned the food supply through negligence, and undermined the farming system through monopolization.

They have profited off of the torture, confinement, and cruel treatment of countless nonhuman animals, and actively hide these practices.

They have continuously sought to strip employees of the right to negotiate for better pay and safer working conditions.

They have held students hostage with tens of thousands of dollars of debt on education, which is itself a human right.

They have consistently outsourced labor and used that outsourcing as leverage to cut workers’ healthcare and pay.

They have influenced the courts to achieve the same rights as people, with none of the culpability or responsibility.

They have spent millions of dollars on legal teams that look for ways to get them out of contracts in regards to health insurance.

They have sold our privacy as a commodity.

They have used the military and police force to prevent freedom of the press.

They have deliberately declined to recall faulty products endangering lives in pursuit of profit.

They determine economic policy, despite the catastrophic failures their policies have produced and continue to produce.

They have donated large sums of money to politicians supposed to be regulating them.

They continue to block alternate forms of energy to keep us dependent on oil.

They continue to block generic forms of medicine that could save people’s lives in order to protect investments that have already turned a substantive profit.

They have purposely covered up oil spills, accidents, faulty bookkeeping, and inactive ingredients in pursuit of profit.

They purposefully keep people misinformed and fearful through their control of the media.

They have accepted private contracts to murder prisoners even when presented with serious doubts about their guilt.

They have perpetuated colonialism at home and abroad.

They have participated in the torture and murder of innocent civilians overseas.

They continue to create weapons of mass destruction in order to receive government contracts.*

To the people of the world,

We, the New York City General Assembly occupying Wall Street in Liberty Square, urge you to assert your power.

Exercise your right to peaceably assemble; occupy public space; create a process to address the problems we face, and generate solutions accessible to everyone.

To all communities that take action and form groups in the spirit of direct democracy, we offer support, documentation, and all of the resources at our disposal.

Join us and make your voices heard!

*These grievances are not all-inclusive.

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☆ What's Going On: Animal-Testing: Pointless & Medically Enviable ☆

Before you go off grumbling about this article simply being another rant from some crazy vegan, allow me to shed some light on the subject and perhaps open your eyes to the unnecessary and cruel world of animal testing...

We test on animals for everything, from the medical cures we deem "necessary" to the ingredients in beauty products. The torturing of animals for our supposed benefit is endless. Most people will argue that animal testing saves lives and that without it we would live in a world with rampid disease and illness. But ninety-four percent of animal testing is done to determine the safety of cosmetics and household products, leaving only 6% for medical research. The reality is this; Testing on Animals is utterly pointless and unnecessary. Animal testing is a waste of our tax-dollars, medical research, and unneeded suffering and deaths of innocent animals. And it is a fact that most medical researchers and doctors simply cannot disagree with.

Cosmetic Testing:

There is possibly nothing more vain than the testing of animals for cosmetics (except perhaps the fur industry). It is an act of cruelty for what? So your eyelashes can be miles long? So that preservative in your moisturizer can be used over something natural? My thoughts are that if your cosmetics need to be tested on animals before human use, then perhaps it is time to reconsider whether you really want to slather up that junk on your skin every day anyway.  

Perhaps part of the misconception is the thinking that those animals are just sat there with their lashes swiped with mascara or their fur washed with shampoo. No, that would be a huge misconception. Those animals are strapped down, poisoned, burned, and blinded. 

A common eye irritancy test is the Draize Test, done on rabbits in which their heads are locked in stocks so they can't move, their eyelids are clipped (preventing them from being able to blink), and chemicals are poured into their eyes. These poor rabits are left to suffer for Weeks through the burning and irritation of these chemicals. They bleed, get ulcers, and their eyes are destroyed. Some even break their necks while trying to escape their stocks.  

Whole Body, Short-term Toxicity, Skin Penetration, Skin Irritancy, Eye irritancy, Skin Sensitization, Phototoxicity & Photosensitisation, Mutagenicity, Carcinogenicity, Reproductive Toxicity, Teratogenicity and Finished Product Testing are all common tests performed on animals. And you can imagine that these are all done in horribly inhumane manners and without pain-killers. 

The sad part is that there are so many alternatives to test these chemicals than using animals as test subjects. Manufacturers can now drop a chemical onto a donated human cornea instead of burning away the cornea of a rabbit's eye. Human skin cultures can be grown and ordered for irritancy testing. And, again, if an ingredient in your cosmetics needs to be that extensively tested, you probably shouldn't be putting it on your skin. What these tests really serve is beyond me, considering the majority of beauty products on the market contain harmful carcinogens, cause respiratory problems, and are known-irritants anyway. There is also already enough existing safety data, and the in vitro alternative testing option, that make animal testing for cosmetics completely unnecessary. 

Medical Testing:

Most people don't like the idea of testing on animals for cosmetics, but almost everyone will insist upon the importance of animal experimentation for medical research. After all, finding a cure for HIV or cancer are pretty important causes. 

It would be nice to live in a world where diseases could be cured and our lives could be healthier, where things like cancer and parkinsons and AIDS were no longer a worry. Sadly, animal testing is not the road to that magical world. In fact, animals have proven to be horrible test subjects all together. And you may be surprised (I know I was) and horrified (I most definitely was) that much of this supposed "medical testing" is far from productive, helpful, or even evidently useful or medically relevant. In fact, most of it is downright pointless and ridiculous. And that's your tax dollars, I may add, that go towards these baffling and pointless tests. 

For instance, did you know that via the National Institutes of Health (NIH), you paid for an experiment that discovered that mice don't need to be electrocuted to run on a wheel? Mhmm, you heard it, that received federal funding. For real. 

Okay, so I'll start by pointing out that the animals that we test on are NOT Humans (alarming I know), but this is an important factor to be considered when their DNA is not the same as ours. This makes them terrible test subjects as their bodies are so different than ours that it is simply not an accurate or effective way to test how a drug or disease will affect our human bodies. The results can never be trusted definitively. 

Even Chimpanzees, whose DNA is ninety-eight percent similar to ours, are not always reliable. That two percent can be a significant difference in how a disease progresses through their bodies. For example, in a chimp's body, HIV doesn't progress to AIDS like it does in humans. 

There are so many other examples of the inadequacy of testing on animals versus the effects on humans. Like how an equal dose of a particular pesticide can be high enough to kill an entire human family but be perfectly safe for monkeys. Or that sheep love arsenic; penicillin kills guinea pigs but is inactive in rabbits; aspirin kills cats and causes birth defects in rats, mice, guinea pigs, dogs, and monkeys; morphine, a depressant in humans, stimulates goats, cats, and horses. The contraceptive pill causes blood clots in humans but has the opposite effect in dogs. Mice don't get the same types of cancer as humans do, yet they are still used for cancer research. And this is really just scratching the surface. 

Taking a healthy being from a different species, giving them some condition that they would not normally ever contract, keeping them in an unnatrual and distressful environment and trying to use the results of such a study for human beings is just absurd. Even the simple notion of taking a human being and putting them in a distressful environment totally changes the results of a study, so how is experimenting on extremely psychologically distressed animals not going to invalidate the results of such a test?  

Less than 2% of human illnesses (1.16%) are ever seen in animals. Over 98% never are. At least 50 drugs on the market cause cancer in lab animals. They are allowed because it is admitted that animal tests are not relevant.

The other sad factor is that all this research is often not for noble causes like it should be. People may be sad to hear about some of these tests done with the money they are generously donating to find a cure for some illness that touches someone close to them. An example of this is the maternal deprivation tests done on baby chimps; done in the name of AIDS research! The studies are done to show the importance of maternal attachment, in which researchers rip baby chimps away from their mothers and study them while they are in isolation. These baby chimps are sometimes given a stuffed "mom" to act as a surrogate in place of their real moms. The babies are so traumatized that they have been seen clinging to these surrogate "moms" even if the "mom" stabbed them with spikes. This is all done just to prove that maternal figures are important. You know, because we can't just blatantly see the importance of maternal attachment ourselves, by watching humans in real life. No, we have to do studies to explain why and how and to what degree. 

More examples of ridiculous Experiments done on Animals that are utterly pointless:

Again, I will remind you that most of these tests are done in the name of cancer research, to find a cure for AIDS, or some other illness. These are Your tax dollars, donations, and other government funding at work.

◕  The scientific community has wasted $20 million taxpayer dollars exposing animals to drugs for a variety of arbitrary and pointless tests, including...

◕  A research facility in North Carolina received over $71, 000 dollars to feed cocaine to primates. The project was dubbed "Monkeys Getting High for Science."  

◕  In 1998, labs used chimps to test ecstasy, when it was already considered to have no medical benefits and had already been tested on humans. The results from this test? Ecstasy causes long-lasting brain damage. Duh.

◕  The federal government is still giving money to vivisectors to find out over and over again that drugs and cigarettes are still bad for you.

The Inhumane nature of Animal Testing:

People often just don't want to hear what is going on in the world of Animals, including Animal Testing. It is not surprising to most the unfortunate and inhumane manner in which these experiments are performed. However, I am here to ellaborate regardless. 

These animals are kept in tiny cages unsuitable for wild creatures where they are burned, shocked, poisoned, isolated, starved, forcibly restrained, addicted to drugs, and brain-damaged for the sake of science and the "benefit of humankind." No experiment is prohibited and the animals litterally have no rights, no matter how painful or trivial the experiment may be. And, remember, pain-killers are not required either. 

Many of these animals are bred specifically for animal experimentation (much in the same manner as factory farming). Many more of these test-subjects are taken from animals shelters, meaning those cats and dogs that were abandoned on the streets. 

Once the experiments end, and the animals have served their purpose in the lab, their bodies are so damaged, tainted and impure and can't be used for further experimentation so are therefore killed. There is no happy ending. And sometimes animals used in lab experiments aren't intentionally killed, such as the thirty monkeys that died in a Nevada lab because an employee left the heater on. Such instances are not rare either since animals have no rights and the penalties for such inhumanity and negligence is really just a tap on the wrist at best.  

Worldwide, at least 22 animals die every second in labs. In the UK one animal dies every five seconds.

There is no Need for Animal Testing and it is utterly and completely Pointless...

Even when we do experiment on animals, human tests still need to be done regardless. 

The FDA has noted that 92 percent of all drugs that are shown to be safe and effective in animal tests fail in human trials. And as for that small percentage that do get approved for human use, half will be relabeled because of side effects that were not identified in animal tests. 

If testing on animals was actually reliable and accurate then prescription drugs would not be the 4th biggest cause of death in the USA. 

The simple reality remains that most experiments done on animals are not relevant to human health. They do not contribute meaningfully to medical advances. In fact, many of these experiments are undertaken out of pure curiosity and don't even pretend to hold promise for curing illnesses. The only reason people are under the strong misconception that animal testing is necessary and actually helps humans is because there are strong dollars going towards the media, experimenters, universities and lobbying groups to have you believe animal experiments lead to new cures and have contributed to past medical advances. This misconception has been strongly debunked even within high-esteemed medical groups. 

At the end of the day, there shouldn't be any need for testing to be done to begin with. There are tons of natural herbs, foods, and products that are already known to help our bodies and contribute to good health. Eating healthily, taking care of our bodies, not subjecting ourselves to nuclear fallout, radioactive materials, pesticides, and other pollution, toxins, and chemicals, would litterally end many of today's health problems. This herb will help you, but no, let's try if this hexaphtalatemiaijaijija-unpronounceable chemical will help instead. What, it causes health problems? Well let's toss it onto the market anyways.  

There is simply no actual Need for subjecting animals to horrible experimentation. We could safely end animal testing altogether without sacrificing or changing any of today's supposed medical advances. There already exist so many alternative methods for studying diseases and testing products, and that are actually relevant to human health and the human body. At least 450 methods exist with which we can replace animal experiments. These effective, affordable, and humane methods include things like cell and tissue culture (in vitro), genomic, and computer-modeling techniques as well as studies of human population, volunteers, and patients--and remember, human-testing needs to be done even if animal testing is done prior. There has been far more progress in the medical industry done on alternative studies than there has ever been done by testing on animals. And the deeper you look the more obvious this becomes. If animal testing worked then cancer numbers wouldn't be getting higher, disease and illnesses wouldn't be getting worse, and (again) prescription drugs would help us instead of kill us. 

The reality is blatant: You do NOT have to choose Experimenting on Animals to find a cure for any illness or disease. 

It is scientifically enviable.  

Extra Material to watch:

If you can stomach it, here is some extra material to view. I know that I have a hard time watching these sorts of things, I am so in love with animals that watching the insane amount of cruelty reduces me to tears. However, if you still have doubts whether Animal Testing is useful or "humane" then I recommend watching the following:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgFWIh71KjY

And of course, watch the movie Earthlings. 

TAKE ACTION:

Send a letter to National Institutes of Health Director Francis Collins asking him to step up and lead where others have failed by creating a policy that takes real steps to eliminate the use of animals in experiments that will bring that number to zero, in addition to providing training opportunities for non-animal experiments.

Send a similar letter to Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) President Alain Beaudet. 

Money talks. Get loud with your cash. Check for the animal-friendly Leaping Bunny symbol  on products from cosmetics to household cleaners, or make your own non-toxic cleaning supplies. You can also check out PETA's caring consumer database for a list of which companies and products are animal-friendly as well as alternatives to products manufactured by companies that do test on animals. 

Sign this Petition Telling the NIH to Make a Plan to End Animal Experiments: 

Take a minute to speak up for lab animals by contacting Obama through the Office of Public Liaison on the need to move away from using animals in research. It’s time for the new administration to pull the financial plug on cruel and wasteful research.

If you're looking to donate to a charity then you can visit the Humane Seal for a list of organizations that use progressive non-animal research methods for a number of causes from cancer and Alzheimers disease to trauma treatments and substance abuse. You can also search their site for a specific cause. 

 

Visit NAAVS (National Anti-Vivisection Society) 

And AAVS (American Anti-Vivisection Society) for more campaigns, take action, and information on animal experimentation. 

You can also put as much pressure as possible on both the EPA and FDA to stop their "required" animal testing. 

Together, we can end Animal Testing forever. One of the most important things you can do is to Spread the word and become educated on the matter, let others know that animal experimentation is medically irrelevant and wasting your tax dollars. Speak up and give a voice to animals needlessly suffering in labs. 

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♥ Wednesday Favorites: FUN FINDS: Panda Love

Earth Day is tomorrow, and hopefully you are getting involved in the many events going on globally and in your own city. If there isn't anything close to home, that doesn't mean you can't still be active and get your Eco-March on ~_^

So, in the continuing spirit of Earth Day, I can't help think of WWF once again. For over four decades the Panda logo has been a recognizable symbol of WWF and its efforts in wildlife and habitat conservation. I love WWF and I love Pandas. So this Wednesday Favorites goes out to the Eco-Friendly Panda Love!

But first, a little About the Giant Panda...

They are one of the world’s most threatened species – as few as 1,600 remain in the wild and face continual threats to their survival. These reserved creatures are found only in remote areas of the Upper Yangtze forests, where they feed on bamboo shoots. A newborn cub is about the size of a stick of butter, weighs only three to five ounces, and is totally dependent upon its mother for the first few months of life.

PANDA Favorites:

"Giant Panda Wildlife Adoption" by WWF. Quite possibly the greatest gift of all! Through the WWF website they have animal adoptions that make a difference to wildlife and habitats at risk and help support WWF-Canada’s conservation effort. You can choose which animal you'd like to adopt and in your adoption kit receive a cuddly toy, reusable gift bag, personalized adoption certificate, a letter that identifies you as the gift-giver, and a report detailing the work that your symbolic adoption will support. ♥♥

"WWF Save the Planet Panda"T-Shirt by Chaser and available on That's My Shirt. This gorgeous WorldWildLife Fund tee is a blast of triple awesomeness!! Not only is it WWF with the always symbolic Panda, but it also has an important Earth Message, And is made from Organic Cotton & Recycle Polyester!! I ordered mine and absolutely Love it!! ♥

"Panda: Hungry, sleepy, and protected" by Barley and Birch. This adorable 100% certified organic cotton kid's tee is made sweatshop-free in the U.S.A. and is printed with water-based, toxin-free inks! A truly inspiring company! Their cute designs are available at a number of sites. :)

"Panda Ecozoo Organic Backpack" Available at BabyEarth.com. I'm sorry, but how freakin adorable is this?!!! Not only that, but it is made from Organically-grown cotton canvas & rope materials, non-toxic dyes, and other sustainable materials!!! It's meant for preschoolers...but hey, I'm sure us adults can get some fun use out of these as well ~_^.

"Panda" Organic Long Sleeve Shirt by Rainbow Swirlz on Etsy!! This gorgeous print is available in several different sizes and Colors and is print on 100% Organic Cotton shirts!! :D

"6"Organic Cotton Panda" by Nature's Accent. This cutie is made from 100% Organic Cotton and has stitched eyes and mouth so it's safe for babies ♥

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